Cornyn calls for review of bump stocks

Published 6:13 pm, Friday, October 6, 2017

An employee of a Raleigh, N.C., gun store demonstrates how a "bump stock" works.

An employee of a Raleigh, N.C., gun store demonstrates how a "bump stock" works.

Photo: Allen Breed, STF

Cornyn calls for review of bump stocks

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Nine Republicans in the U.S. Senate, including Texas' John Cornyn, Friday wrote a letter urging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to review the agency's decision that allows the sale of “bump stocks,” the accessory used to maximize gunfire in the Las Vegas massacre.

The bump stocks use the force of the gun’s natural recoil to allow the gun to bounce off the shooter’s trigger finger. The modification allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire rounds at a rate that resembles that of an automatic weapon. In 2010, the AFT allowed sales of the accessory because it did not change a weapon's mechanics.

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"Given the function and capability of a semi-automatic rifle that is modified by a bump stock, we respectfully request that you review the Obama Administration's interpretation and issue your own interpretation," the senators wrote in a letter sent to AFT acting director Thomas Brandon Friday.

They added: "Unfortunately, we are all now keenly aware of how this device operates and believe that this renewed review and determination will keep our citizens safe and ensure that federal law is enforced."

The letter, led by Dean Heller of Nevada, was also signed by John Thune of South Dakota, Joni Ernst of Iowa, James Inhofe and James Lankford of Oklahoma, Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Tim Scott of South Carolina.

The senators' calls come as several others, including President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association, call for a — or even a ban — of the device.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., unveiled a bill Wednesday that would ban the manufacture, sale and transfer of bump stocks and other accessories that can accelerate a semiautomatic rifle’s rate of fire.

Slide Fire, based in Moran, 40 miles east of Abilene, is the largest producer of the device. It has temporarily halted sales on its website due to high demand.